New details were learned from the mayors' meeting with Prime Minister Edi Rama, where the focus of discussions was territorial reform and the reorganization of the map of municipalities.
The clashes were not limited to Poliçani and Dimal. It is learned that the mayor of Selenica, Nertil Bello, and the mayor of Divjaka, Josif Gorrea, also had strong debates with Rama, defending their stance against the merger of the municipalities they lead.
The Minister of State for Local Government, Arbjan Mazniku, has also been involved in the debate. According to sources, the mayors have raised objections regarding the criteria used to determine the municipalities that will be included in the territorial reorganization.
One of the strongest moments of the meeting was the clash regarding the reaction of local communities. It is learned that Rama addressed the mayors, accusing them of inciting citizens to protest against the territorial reform. The Prime Minister claimed that their opposition is not only remaining at the institutional level, but is also spreading to the citizens, creating resistance to the proposed changes.
On the other hand, the mayors have opposed the way in which the municipalities expected to be merged were selected, raising allegations of double standards.
Peqin, Vau i Dejës and Roskovec were specifically mentioned in the discussion. According to the mayors, these municipalities have weaker performance indicators, but despite this, they have not been included in the same way in the proposed changes.
The objections have led to strong debates during the meeting, while the mayors have requested that the criteria for the reorganization of the territorial map be clear and applied equally to all municipalities.
The meeting lasted more than four hours and focused entirely on territorial reform, the method of reorganizing municipalities, and the criteria that will determine which of them will continue to exist as separate units of local government.
Today's debates show that territorial reform is expected to be one of the most discussed issues in relations between the central government and local leaders, especially in municipalities that risk being affected by the new map.
